"David Moyes could not have asked for a better response from his players," says Jacob Steinberg in the Guardian. "The mavericks in his team rose to the occasion, with Marko Arnautovic and João Mário tearing the visitors to shreds, and the victory moved them five points above Southampton, who are two behind 17th-placed Crystal Palace with seven matches left.

"One look around this unloved stadium was enough to revive memories of the pitch invasions and protests that marred the Burnley game. Stewards in bright yellow jackets lined the perimeter of the pitch, there was a sizeable police presence inside the ground and barriers below the directors’ box were intended to stop supporters from getting too close to Gold and Sullivan, West Ham’s unpopular owners.

Marko Arnautovic celebrates netting his second of the game

"The operation added £60,000 to the security bill, which was footed by taxpayers, and amid all the focus on events in the stands it was almost possible to forget that a game of football was taking place. It began in a lively atmosphere, signalling the crowd’s determination to remain supportive, and West Ham tore into the early challenges, rattling Southampton with energetic pressing.

"Mark Hughes picked an attacking 4-4-2 for his first league game, with Charlie Austin fit enough to start up front for the first time since tearing a hamstring on 23 December, but Southampton’s lack of intensity in midfield and organisation in defence in the first half was startling. West Ham roared forward and took the lead when Mario Lemina cheaply lost possession in the 13th minute, allowing Cheikhou Kouyaté to charge down the right and find Mário, who controlled before walloping a brilliant shot past Alex McCarthy.

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"Mário’s first goal since arriving on loan from Internazionale in January shocked the visitors. West Ham’s bench contained four players without a single Premier League start and Moyes could have done without an inconsolable Michail Antonio limping off in the ninth minute, especially with Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini and Javier Hernández already unavailable. Yet Southampton were too feeble to expose those weaknesses."

Daily Mail

"Scoring three times in 45 minutes has a funny way of uniting a football club," writes Sami Mokbel in the Daily Mail. "Football’s a fickle game isn’t it?

"It may turn out that West Ham’s victory over Southampton merely papers over the cracks of this divided club.

"This time, though, there were no scenes of anarchy. Just the impression that - for at least 90 minutes - this club was as one.

"Who knows, had Southampton taken the lead then history may have repeated itself such is the undercurrent of ill-feeling towards those that run West Ham from fans.

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"But thankfully for David Moyes - and the board - it didn't come to that; two goals from Marko Arnautovic and Joao Mario’s first for West Ham securing a vital win in their fight for survival.

"In the grand scheme of things this win won’t repair the fractious relationship between fans and the club’s top brass. But it’s a start.

"For Mark Hughes, though, things are looking bleak. On his Premier League debut for Southampton, the size of the task in front of him was laid bare.

"Southampton were clueless. Feeble in the tackle. Uninventive in attack. Everything their new manager was not as a player."

Joao Mario opens the scoring against Southampton

The Independent

"Southampton wanted a strong start to turn the home crowd sour, but West Ham started with far more energy and belief," writes Jack Pitt-Brooke in the Independent. "And a clear conviction, on the pitch, on the bench, in the directors' box and in the stands that there could be no repeat of last time. The fans roared off a tearful Michail Antonio as he limped off after eight minutes. And when West Ham started to build their own simple attacks, doubling up down the wings, crosses into the box, Southampton did nothing to stop them.

"The first goal came when Mark Noble won the ball in midfield and released Cheikhou Kouyate, storming forward with the ball down the right. Facing no challenge, he squared to Joao Mario on the edge of the box. Mario took two touches to set himself – again, no challenge – and then put the ball through Alex McCarthy’s hands into the top corner of the net, for his first goal in English football.

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"That was the moment this crowd needed and as soon as that goal went in there was no doubt whatsoever that West Ham would win. It was only ever a question of how many. Arnautovic should have scored when he raced onto Noble’s pass but slid an easy finish wide, but it did not matter. Two minutes later they had their second.

"Kouyate found Mario, who had freedom to roam and had drifted out to the right. He swung in a cross, and Arnautovic leaped up in between Cedric Soares and Jack Stephens. McCarthy saved the header but the rebound fell straight to Arnautovic who stuck the ball in the net before any player in red and white even tried to stop him.

"The static, passive, shrug of the shoulders defending was exposed a third and final time at the end of the first half. Arthur Masuaku had the ball on the left and swung over a hopeful cross, curling round the defence towards the far post. Arnautovic ran onto it unchallenged and volleyed the ball into the net.

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"That was that. There was nothing in the second half to get excited about. Southampton did not get any worse – that would have been almost impossible – and Charlie Austin had two half-chances from the edge of the box. But at no point did they look like they were fighting to get back into the game, or even to stay in the Premier League."

The Telegraph

"Crisis, what crisis? In the end, the only extra security needed at the London Stadium was in the away dressing room to protect Southampton's players from their manager Mark Hughes, as West Ham cruised to an emphatic win that banished the bad memories of their defeat by Burnley three weeks ago," writes Gerry Cox in the Telegraph.

Arthur Masuaku returned against Southampton

"Three goals in a one-sided first-half put West Ham in complete control and ensured there would be no repeat of those shameful scenes when home supporters invaded the pitch and protested angrily against the club's owners following their 3-0 defeat by Sean Dyche's side.

"That result had left West Ham in 17th place, only two points above Southampton, meaning a fourth straight defeat on Saturday would have left the east Londoners in the relegation zone, and their fans even unhappier. Thus the increased security in and around the stadium for this match, with extra police drafted in, barriers erected in front of the directors' seating, and more stewards than ever.

"The array of luminous hi-vis jackets was complemented by day-glo boots for some of the stewards on the touchline, presumably to give them more grip in case they needed to chase off pitch invaders.

"In the event, it was Southampton's players who could have done with being more sure-footed, as they allowed West Ham to race into an early two-goal lead that banished all fears of crowd trouble."